Corrivalia
Corrivalia is a subregion in the province of Arborea, south of Cantabria and sprawling across the coastal drift between the mountains to the east, the highlands to the north, and the plains to the south. Geography Corrivalia earns its name from its "valley run," a continuous divide formed at its north side by the steep elevation of Cantabria and by its east with Crotalusia. This corrals it into a gently inclining river valley, with sparse mountains in its center forming the Penninine mountain range and the southwest Bard's Mountains. Corrivalia has three major lakes and hundreds of small rivers that carve their way around the many forests. These rivers and the slope of the valley makes Corrivalia the most fertile region of all Neuphany. On its southern border, dividing it from Arcadia, are the Attiline rivers; this river system surrounds the mountainous Eragonia on its southeast border, which is fed by the Mazadares rivers from the Salissan Sea on its western border. Though its grasslands are ideal places for farmland, its forests are where its most populous cities are, as they are rich in trade goods and were not previously owned prior to the Thirteenth Era. Population Corrivalia is a region with contrasted rural and urban centers, with a few major cities and wide swaths of land belonging to farmers and ranchers. The capitol of Corrivalia is Certusa, and is also the capitol of all Arborea. Corrivalians tend to be ranchers and farmers with almost all of Corrivalia being used for this purpose. The cities have a variety of services and trade jobs, but the wealthiest houses of Corrivalia are in agriculture. The olive and grape vineyards are the most profitable estates, though most farmland is devoted to cereals and grain. For this reason, Corrivalia is often called the "bread-basket of Neuphany." The most populated areas are along the coast of the Ivory Sea, with other towns along the Mazadares rivers. The farmland and ranches are sparsely populated in the interior. Corrivalia has the lowest ratio of landowners to serfs in the Old World, with two-thirds of all people in Corrivalia being a land-owner. Culture Corrivalia is almost exclusively inhabited by Hiberian humans, though not for reasons of exclusion; with the predominant cult being that of Saclis. However, there is also a large number of those who practice the Old Faith, and superstition is common among the people of this region. The land is worked in farming and ranching primarily, but in its cities traders and merchants offload goods from traders making the journey to other places. Its diverse composition makes it difficult to define with precision. In its western coastal areas, Corrivalia is identifiable with Solernian and Illyrian culture. These areas rely on fishing, trade, and its artisans. However, there is a sharp divide any further east than the Bard's Mountains, and the rural areas are much more reserved. This examination of Corrivalian culture encompasses mostly these areas, as the coastal regions are identifiable with Solernia. Because Corrivalia gets so warm during the day, work will usually begin once the sun is fully up, and an hour-long siesta between 11am and 2pm is very common. Styles of dress and beauty standards Corrivalians dress rather conservatively in terms of color, with their clothing being beige or white, as well as being pragmatic allowing full range of movement. However, during special occasions like a wedding or festival, they will dress in more brightly toned clothing, with greens, reds, and yellows being the most common accents. Higher class dress is associated with more layered clothing, which means that the more classy an affair, the more layers they will put on. A typical day for a Corrivalia may mean dressing down; they don't necessarily think showing skin is immodest, only the color of clothing as being more or less dignified. Black is reserved exclusively for funerals, and blues are almost always a sign someone is from out of town. Men keep their hair high and tight, and will grow facial hair if they are higher class. Some of lower social status will grow facial hair, but by the time such a trend catches on, it will usually be antiquated and nobility will have moved on to a different style. Women keep their hair down throughout the year, and on special occasions, will meticulously braid it as nobility would. Clothing is loose-fitting and made of thin materials to keep with the warm weather experienced during most of the year. Standards of beauty in Corrivalia tend to favor conservative wear and self-care. Men typically take excellent care of their clothing and wash and clean their own clothes, and are expected to be slender or physically fit. Most women in Corrivalia are pear-shaped and such a body type is preferred in this region. Lighter colored hair and a healthy tan are ideal, and light brown (and amber) eyes are also points of interest. Dance and music are central to men and women meeting one another, and thus a man who is a good dancer is almost universally attractive; similarly, a woman who can sing is too sought after. Customs and religion Most types of humanoids are welcome in Corrivalia, and those of Jade or silver blood receive great accomodation. Goodfellows, Cagots, and goliaths, however, will find few friends due to a long history of violence from the peoples of Crotalusia. Mardocs, an ethnic group native to Corrivalia, don't find it easy to live in the region. In addition, neither tieflings nor Auber are ever welcome in Corrivalia. Magic has a strange place in Corrivalia. When an elderly woman is widowed, she is believed to become a witch doctor of sorts, and many will seek out such widows for medical assistance if nothing else has worked for them. Studied schools like alchemy or astrology, however, tend to be looked at as foreign anomalies. Magicians are treated with curiosity, and though they are not prohibited from rural areas, they are the first suspects if things go wrong. Miracles are something reserved for priests, but other types of magic aren't forbidden outright. Churches provide most of the services in small towns, if not all of them. Within larger cities, the history of the Ascani Empire's involvement in their political structure is still evident. Post-Ascani governments are very closely linked to church leaders, and churches are funded by local taxes in addition to donations. This allows priests to tend to church activities full-time. However, there is no state-enforced religion. Most people join a church based on their proximity to its physical location. Among those not allowed on sanctified ground, the left-handed and menstruating or pregnant women are forbidden from entering a church. Pregnant women are expected to not leave the house, in fact. When someone passes away, priests are charged with all the tasks of embalming, the funeral, and burial. This gives the priest a special, revered class among the people in the interests of ensuring a decent funeral. People will usually give the priest money throughout their lives as a sort of debt, called a grave benefit, which ensures their family won't have to pay exorbitant amounts once they pass away. Bodies are buried with boxwood and facing downwards in graves twelve feet deep, with their hair trimmed and body well dressed. It is important to ensure the proper handling of a body, or it is feared the family member will curse the town and bring its doom. Family life Families are small, with the extended family being a privilege of larger families. Children are raised by the mother and are given few rights until they can begin the family work. This includes both sons and daughters, and once their father determines it to be warranted, will be allowed to travel into the city in their early teens and acquire a type of defensive dirk called a doloch. Nearly everyone, save for priests or pregnant women, carry a doloch. Such a tool is permitted everywhere except inside a church or in the quarters of a pregnant woman. Only a midwife or au pair is allowed to have a doloch in the presence of a pregnant woman. During a mother's pregnancy, she is usually sequestered away if the family has the money to hire a midwife to keep to her and tend to her needs. The child is usually delivered in the presence of only the mother, father, and midwife, and the midwife is kept for a period later as an au pair until the child can speak, when they are relieved of their duty. This position is usually given to the eldest child in poorer families. The family will have a small celebration with extended family, though not to attract the attention of strangers or demons that may be in the town at the time. Every household, no matter the status or family wealth, will have a horse. Cantabrians prize their horses and treat them like family, to the point where the horse's stable is attached to their home and they are even welcome indoors. Young men are expected to buy their own gelding once they move into their own home with their wife. Cantabrians allow their children to drink alcoholic beverages from a young age, and children learn to ride a horse as early as their sixth year. Cuisine Families are expected to all dine together at the same time, with parents or those of esteem being given the largest cuts of food. They also are the first to bite into their food, and none are allowed to leave the table until they have finished eating. Tables are round except in the halls of nobility, where they are oblong. The most common foods eaten in a Cantabrian dinner is fish, harvested from the Dancers or the ocean, with herring and salmon being staples. Dry breads are traditionally eaten with crushed berries after a meal, and no Cantabrian dinner would be complete without rich, dark beers brewed by the local monasteries. The upper class frequently consumes haute cuisine, something that started in Cantabria and carried over to other aristocrats. Desserts are typically holiday foods, with pastries being one of the things that Cantabria is most known for. Because of the number of festivals and holy days throughout the year, there is at least once such holiday every week. These include weddings, funerals, solstices, equinoxes, and veneration of saints. These pastries are mainly tarts, pies, sweet breads, and quiches. There is a distinct lack of wellwater and safe water to drink in Cantabria, so fruit juices and beers are the main sources of hydration for most of the region. One area Cantabria is often remarked for being quite strange in is that they ground pinecones into powder in a unique device called a pinecho, which is sprinkled on most foods except their sweet desserts. This makes their food apart from their desserts an acquired taste. Cantabrians don't enjoy spicy or salty foods as much as they like sweets. Social grooming Greetings and interaction It is normal for Cantabrians to offer a gift of "exotic" foods, especially cheeses, when meeting for the first time in a business setting. Thereafter, such gifts are usually a sign of favor, though beer is also well received. A subtle insult can be done by offering local foods as a gift, which is an indication that the gift may have been last-minute. Offering a gift on one knee with one's head down is considered a sign of respect for nobility or the elderly. Meeting an older relative or nobility also requires one to kiss their wedding ring, a blessing upon their marriage. However, this is usually only done for other Cantabrians. Meeting someone familiar or informally does not demand these rites. When two people are introduced for the first time, they are directed to share a drink and salute each other with their glasses, keeping eye contact with one another, and then at some point during their first meeting, introduce their wives or husbands. Unlike most cultures, women drink as much as the men, and children too are welcome to indulge. In a general context, people keep to themselves day-to-day, only interacting in business settings with a firm handshake. They will even walk right by relatives if they have no business with them that day. Cantabrians are quiet and reserved, which may be taken as rude by other peoples. This manifests as Cantabrians not really having "friends" in a traditional sense, apart from their husbands, wives, or siblings. They greatly value personal space, although a bise - the Arborean "kiss on the cheek" - is well understood and welcome, but not performed between Cantabrians. However, other friendly actions, like a hug or a pat on the shoulder, is a violating act and will be awkward for both parties. Among these customs is the Cantabrian tradition of taking a nickname based on their family name. Their real name is only given to those they are familiar with and their families, while they offer their nickname to those they do with business with. Honorifics are incorporated into these nicknames, so repeating a king's title or those of noble birth is redundant. If there is one thing Cantabrians detest, it is being rushed. They are deliberate and like to take their time doing things, and when tending to their horses, hurrying a Cantabrian is seen as intentionally rude. It is tactless to discuss death, sex, business, or politics in most social settings, as social gatherings are mainly an occasion for religious reverence or to celebrate a birth or wedding. Families never host an event themselves, as these events are organized and hosted by either the church or the government, though some families will fund the event with their own money in part as its patron. Doing so earns them the privilege of introducing people to each other, which is almost always used to pair up their teenage children with others of the same age as potential marriage partners. Festivals When attending a festival, Cantabrians are expected to eat a full meal beforehand, as only pastries and desserts are offered at these events. Festivals are occasions filled with flower arrangements (which are often offered for individuals to take home with them for their garden) and musicians that work for the church or are hired by the noble house. The main event, which occurs at the night's end, is a religious sermon, after which attendees are dismissed and leave for their homes. It is extremely rude to remain on the festival grounds afterwards. Guests are required to bring their own drinks, usually dark beer, though a patron will often bring a surplus for those who cannot afford to bring their own. This is to complement the individual tastes of every attendee. The desserts are displayed out and open to take at any time a guest arrives. There is little interaction with the hosting church and attendees apart from the sermon. Ethics and values Oaths are sworn during the day, in light of the sun, with promises made by night being considered akin to lies or an insult. Cantabrians have many curse words, perhaps the longest list of any group, who consider any words describing sexual acts, death, defecation, urination, deviancy, and sacrilege to be swear words. While using these terms is tactless in public, especially in a marketplace, there is no such reservation in private. Among the most valuable objects in Cantabria, exotic goods like rare furs, beverages, and precious metals have the greatest cost associated with them. However, exotic foods fetch the highest price, and haute cuisine is the easiest way to spend money. In addition their horses are prized, and a stud horse has no equal in Cantabrian society. Thieves are treated with great contempt in Cantabria. Horse thieves are the worst among them, and killing a horse thief is expected and encouraged. Lies are unsurprisingly looked down upon, but courtesy is far more important than honesty. This extends to oaths, and backing out of a sworn oath is, although disreputable, not something that always earns ire. This is especially true in cases of fraud in business transactions. To be recognized as an upright citizen, one must not only own a horse, but they must also contribute taxes and a number of tithes to their local church. Those who act as patrons for the church are held to higher regard, with increased patronage showing greater esteem. To not be a full citizen is to be considered transient or a foreigner. While hospitable, a stranger would never be invited into a home or onto church grounds. Another point on citizenship is that only humans and those of Jade and silver blood will see the benefits of full citizenship. In addition, anyone accused of being a thief is reviled and usually exiled or shunned by that commune. Of all the social wrongs, thievery is the worst. Among some other social faux pas are forgetting to bring a gift to an event, begging, and asking for personal favors. Insulting one's family, estate, or horse can spark a violent outburst. Cantabrians swear fealty to their church first and foremost. After that, their immediate family is of highest importance, and following the orders of nobility would not surpass one's familial relations unless it were connected to their priest's orders. They are also eager to please business partners, in a "customer is always right" way, as commerce is critical to the region. Despite their connection to the Masagatae, Cantabria's greatest cultural heroes are their many artists and saints. When speaking positively of their heroes, Cantabrians reflect on their patience and accomplishments in their careers. Though they value art, being a great artist and being a successful artist are one and the same for Cantabria. Their official national hero is Saint Janus, the high elf convert to the cult of Saclis who banished the wyverns from the Old World by harnessing the power of the summer sun. He two distinct holidays during the year, ine for his birthday and one commemorating his banishing of the wyverns. Most Cantabrians desire a prosperous business and to purchase a large estate, one that could comfortably support an extended family. This is what drives the "Cantabrian ambition" and why they are often called perfectionists and uptight. They treat themselves like nobility, as it were, because they expect to attain it someday. Notable houses House of Bucephel An immigrant family of Madelia who gained prominence after breeding the preferred studs for the Ascani Imperial army during the fall of Goodfellow rule in the late Eight Era. The Bucephelan horse is prized as being a hardy breed of horse that are ornery and difficult to break as stallions, but geldings are among the easiest to train and work with. Their distinctive whinny, a sudden high-pitched shriek, can ward away even griffins and wyverns. The current Duke of Bucephel, Ramsey III, is allied with the House of Merovia by marriage and serves as Duke of all Cantabria. House of Lorraine A split branch of the Merovian dynasty. Lorraine is the strongest local bank in Cantabria, though they pose little competition with greater banking empires like the Mandolins. Lorraine also owns a vast majority of the merchant guilds across Cantabria, and the guild helps foreigners accustom and travel through the province with little obstruction. House of Jeger Formerly a family that owned the vast hunting grounds in the southeast, the Jegers have feuded for a long time with Bucephel over lands in the east, especially Graustable. The Jegers protected monks of Saclis to settle in their lands throughout periods of Auber and Merovian conquest, which resulted in the monasteries creating a very profitable line of spirits in their woods. House of Trapp The Trapp family split from the Jeger family in the past century, having married into the family but having succession issues which caused them to separate. The Trapp system of patronage arose thanks to trading furs with Crotalusia, a political taboo, and allowed them to patronize their monks into producing some of the finest beers in Cantabria. The Trappist monks brew rich, dark beers that are exported all over Arborea and beyond.